NFL Player News

Pruitt exited in the third quarter of Sunday's game against the Saints with a calf injury and is questionable to return, Terrin Waack of the Falcons' official site reports.

The Falcons' No. 3 tight end hauled in his lone target for a 17-yard gain prior to leaving with the injury. If Pruitt is done for the day, the Falcons would be left with Tucker Fisk and John FitzPatrick as depth options behind Kyle Pitts and Jonnu Smith.

Higbee (shoulder) is inactive for Sunday's game against the 49ers, Jourdan Rodrigue of The Athletic reports.

After he was unable to practice in any fashion this week, Higbee carried a doubtful designation into the regular-season finale. He'll unsurprisingly sit out Sunday, but if he's able to take a step forward in practice activity during the upcoming week, Higbee could be available to play in the Rams' road playoff game Jan. 13 or 14 in the wild-card round. Davis Allen is expected to serve as Los Angeles' starting tight end Sunday, with Brycen Hopkins working as his understudy.

Jackson (coach's decision) is Dan Salomone of the Giants' official site for Sunday's game against the Eagles, Dan reports.

Jackson was signed to the Giants' active roster Saturday, but will not suit up for the team's regular-season finale. Darren Waller and Daniel Bellinger will serve as the two tight ends for New York for Week 18.

Musgrave (kidney) is active for Sunday's game against the Bears, Mike Spofford of the Packers' official site reports.

Musgrave officially has completed his recovery from the lacerated kidney that has sidelined him since he suffered the internal injury back in Week 11 against the Chargers. Considering he had his practice reps capped the last two weeks, there's a chance he's somewhat inhibited in his return to action, especially with how fellow rookie tight end Tucker Kraft has fared in Musgrave's stead. In any case, Musgrave has another chance to add to his first-year line of 33-341-1 on 45 targets in 10 appearances.

Kmet (knee) is active for Sunday's game against the Packers.

Early Sunday reports indicated Kmet was strongly trending toward active status, and that's now been made official. Kmet was also in uniform in Week 17 against the Falcons and on the field for 13 snaps, but he theoretically stands to have a better chance at a normal workload Sunday after managing to practice in full Friday. Robert Tonyan, Kmet's backup, could still see a slightly elevated snap count against his old Packers squad if Kmet is limited in any way.

Whiteheart (coach's decision) is inactive Sunday against the Seahawks.

Whiteheart will once again be a healthy scratch, which has been a common case since signing with the active roster Oct. 24. His rookie campaign will end with two games played but no counting stats.

Smartt (shoulder) isn't among the Chargers' inactives for Sunday's matchup against Kansas City.

A shoulder issue kept Smartt to a pair of limited practice sessions to begin Week 18 prep, but his outlook improved with a full practice Friday. The second-year tight end entered Sunday deemed questionable to suit up, but he's ultimately been cleared to play. Smartt should thus fill his usual role as Gerald Everett's backup against the Chiefs.

LaPorta (knee) was been downgraded to out for the remainder of Sunday's game against the Vikings.

LaPorta sustained a knee injury while being tackled in the second quarter and had to be carted to the locker room shortly before the end of the first half. While the nature of this injury is still unclear, it appears the standout rookie could be dealing with a significant issue. This could jeopardize his status for Detroit's first-round matchup in the playoffs, which will come either Saturday, Jan. 13 or Sunday, Jan. 14 depending on how the final seeding for the NFC playoff field plays out. With LaPorta sidelined and Brock Wright (hip) already inactive, the Lions will be left with James Mitchell as the team's only healthy tight end for the remainder of Sunday's game.

Tremble (back) has returned to Sunday's game against the Buccaneers, Darin Gantt of the Panthers' official site reports.

Tremble exited with a back injury just before halftime, but he re-took the field with the rest of Carolina's offense to open the second half. The 23-year-old will look to build upon his two receptions for 11 yards from the first two quarters of the game.

Kelce (coach's decision) has been ruled out for Sunday's regular-season finale against the Chargers.

Kelce was limited in all three of Kansas City's practices this week but approached the contest without an injury designation. However, with the Chiefs locked into the No. 3 seed in the the AFC playoffs, the star tight end will end up being rested Sunday along with other key starters such as quarterback Patrick Mahomes. In his absence, Noah Gray and Blake Bell are slated to serve as the team's tight ends. Kelce will finish the 2023 campaign with 93 catches for 984 yards and five touchdowns over 15 games, spelling an end to his streak of seven consecutive seasons with at least 1,000 receiving yards.